It was never on my list but I am now the owner of a Moto Guzzi V85TT Travel. Unexpected? Yes. Exciting? Yes. Will it tour? That’s the plan, and this is how it’s going. Read my ongoing, updating, extended review.
I acquired the V85 TT Travel in May 2026. This review is updating regularly.
A summary review of the V855 TT Travel (2022)
A characterful and comfortable, touring adventure bike, the V85 TT Travel will support you in efficient and relaxed long-distance discovery.
It’s designed for both getting to far-away places, and exploring them when arrive. You’ll have fun, you’ll feel proud, you’ll enjoy the torque and you’ll get annoyed at luggage falling out of the panniers every time you try to get something out. 130 km/h cruising is possible. 120 km/h is better. Winding country roads are even better.
My background
Born in 1968 I’m 174cm and fairly slim. I’ve toured around France, Great Britain, New Zealand and a lot of Germany, Belgium and Luxembourg.
My previous bike was (and still is) a Honda VFR 800 sports tourer but I’ve tried plenty of bikes in my life. This is, however, my first adventure tourer.
I live in Bonn, Germany and I regularly ride the Eifel and Westerwald regions. I also love camping.
Say hi! and ask questions on Instagram.
Why did I buy a V85 TT Travel?
In June 2027 I will be attempting a 10000 km tour of south east Europe. While I love the VFR800 for reliable and fast long distance tours, (five countries in a day?) it’s a struggle at low speeds and it’s tough on my back and shoulders. The V85TT was never on my shortlist, but it’s here now, and I’m testing the living daylights out of it. If it cuts the mustard, it’s the bike for the tour.
Considering a V85TT? Here’s what I can tell you. (Updating through 2026.)
First ride…. easy. This is a really easy bike to ride with a smooth clutch and plenty of low-down power.
Karchang! Chug! chug! Brap! Brap! The official sound of a V85 TT!
Design and feel. What a fantastically focused classic bike design. There’s no comparison and i’m loving it. My Honda VFR800 has a similar unique feeling and some great design angles. The V85 TT has more great design angles!
Power. 75 PS and a shaft drive. This is, in my experience, the minimum you’ll need for one-person, multi-week touring. While the country roads will be no problem at all, that 110-130km/h range could feel a little strained. In comparision to my VFR, there’s a range between 130 and 180 km/h that’s completely missing. Note: I live in Germany.
Torque. There’s way more usable torque here than on my VFR 800 (82 Nm at 5000 rpm vs 80 Nm at 8,500 rpm on the VFR) making country roads, switchbacks and start-stop riding way easier. Sport mode in town can catch you out on the V85 TT.
Seat and height. The height is turning out better than I thought. At 174 cm tall, (31 inches inseam) I’m not able to flat-foot on the 830 cm seat height. It means there’s a few cm missing for those fall-away road moments and I don’t feel as confident pulling up at traffic lights. I’ll get used to that i’m sure.
As for the seat comfort, it seems comfortable but wide. There are a few positions you can take up but i’ll update this section when I’ve put in more miles. (I’m planning a 1000 km day in July 2026 for an extreme test.)
Weight. Not much more than my VFR but easier to push around the garage. It is a heavy bike though, especially when the tank is full.
Switchgear. It’s different, yes, but you’ll probably know about that before you buy it. I have no issue with the layout and quirky switches. The indicator lights are way easier than on my VFR.
Instrument cluster…not the best design. A combo of flashing lights and a small LCD panel. This is certainly not what my idea of Italian style is and it’s not even functionality focused. It might just be the worst part of the bike.
An example: The lights-on indicator is on when only the ‘eagle’ is lit and in full fog-light mode, not when only the low-beam is on.
Screen characters could be bigger, for old eyes.
Luggage is surprisingly sturdy, is easy to remove, is nicely branded and uses a single key locking system. There’s 61 liters of capacity. However, they open sideways and one of them has an awkward shape in order to fit around the exhaust. You must use liners or packing cubes. I’m not sure whether i’ll use this luggage for the 10k tour. Soft luggage might be a better option (see my VFR 800 soft luggage setup) but i’ll test that. The luggage mounting frame includes a small rear rack.
Screen. The Travel variant has the largest of the screen options. Up to 80 km/h it’s offers loads of protection. Above that i’m finding a resonance with my helmet that needs breaking up. The screen has a small amount of angle adjustment so i’ll play with that.
Gears, clunk! They take time and neutral can be a problemon the downshift, but it’s a solid gearbox, with a solid clunk. Yes, that’s a technical term.
Speed and acceleration. My instrument panel shows i’ve hit 165 km/h but this isn’t a high-speed you touring bike like my VFR800 sports tourer. It will glide along at 120 km/h all day and it will pull extremely well up until 100 km/h.
This bike is about tourque and i’ll be honest – I think it’s teasing me to be faster than I should be. Maybe it’s the exhaust note!
Brakes / ABS. Info coming soon.
Traction control. Info coming soon.
Suspension. Coming soon.
Sound, loving it. Certainly better than the VFR….up to 6000 RPM, where the VTEC on the VFR takes it into a different league. There’s tunnel-potential on the V85 TT though, if you know what I mean!
The cold-engine problem: The V85TT likes to be nicely warmed up before it gives you stable fuelling. For the first 5 minutes, even on a warm, sunny day, it’s not settled and low-speed control isn’t easy.
The neutral gear problem: Finding neutral from 1st isn’t easy. Finding it from 2nd is an art. I’ve even seen the display registering the wrong gear while searching so watch out! You’ll get used to it though, and that clunk! when you change gears.
Efficiency: The V85TT is extremely efficient up to about 80 km/h, especially without luggage. Ride faster than that though and it shows its shape. At 120 km/h with luggage you’re not exactly cutting through the air and you’ll see that in the fuel consumption figures.
Handling. I’ve been doing a lot of technical slow-speed excersises and it feels incredibly manouverable at low speed. The turning circle is extremely tight compared to my VFR800. You’d expect that, but I wasn’t! More information coming soon.
Heat. There’s less than a gen 6 VFR800, but that’s not saying much! It’s warm, for sure, but I need more testing. I keep looking for the water temperature reading on the dash but, of course, there isn’t one.
Cruise control. Easy, simple, works.
Navigation / Bluetooth: Info coming soon on the built-in Moto Guzzi Here navigation. In the meantime I’ve fitted a Beeline Moto 2 and am using that. It feels like a much nicer solution. Neither solutions are as good as Calimoto for planning, but there’s always something positive to be said for a built in solution. 3 years for €25 seems like a very fair price, as long as the app remains active for three years!
Lights / Night Riding. Coming soon.
Moto Guzzi V855TT Travel (2022) Specifications
| Engine Type | Transverse 90∘ V-twin, 4-stroke, OHV, 2 valves per cylinder. |
| Engine CC | 853 |
| Engine Bore x Stroke | 84 mm×77 mm |
| Engine Cooling | Air-cooled |
| Maximum Power | 76 PS (56 kW) @ 7,500 rpm |
| Maximum Torque | 82 Nm @ 5,000 rpm |
| Emissions Class | Euro 5 (119 g/km CO2) |
| Fuel Consumption | 4.9 L/100 km (official) |
| Gearbox | 6-speed |
| Clutch | Dry single disc |
| Final Drive | Shaft drive |
| Frame | High-strength tubular steel trellis frame. Engine as stressed component. |
| Seat Height | 830mm fixed. (Lower seat option: 810mm.) |
| Front Suspension | 41 mm upside-down hydraulic fork. Adjustable spring preload and rebound (170 mm travel) |
| Rear Suspension | Box-type aluminum swingarm with lateral monoshock; adjustable spring preload and rebound (170 mm travel) |
| Front Brakes | Dual 320 mm stainless steel floating discs, Brembo radial-mounted 4-piston calipers |
| Rear Brake | Single 260 mm stainless steel disc, floating 2-piston caliper |
| ABS | Continental multi-map cornering ABS (Rear ABS can be disabled in off-road mode) |
| Wheels | Cross-spoked tubeless rims |
| Tires | Front: 110/80 – R19 Rear: 150/70 – R17 |
| Seat Height | 830 mm |
| Ground Clearance | 210 mm |
| Dry Weight | 209 kg |
| Kerb Weight (Wet) | 230 kg (all fluids, 90% fuel, without standard Travel accessories) / approx. 243 kg fully equipped |
| Fuel Capacity | 23 Liters |
| Factory Equipment | Higher touring windscreen, 39L/27L plastic-and-aluminum side panniers, heated grips, Moto Guzzi MIA Bluetooth connectivity platform, center stand. |